Sen. Reed to Deliver $800,000 Boost for Pedestrian Safety Along Massasoit Avenue
Massasoit Avenue is a favorite route for Barrington students walking or riding their bikes to and from three local schools each day. But for many years, a lack of sidewalks on this major thoroughfare has posed significant safety issues for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users.
On Tuesday, August 11 at 11:00 a.m., U.S. Senator Jack Reed will join Barrington officials, Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) interim Director Robert Rocchio, and community members to celebrate a $800,000 federal earmark he secured to add more than a quarter-mile of sidewalk to Massasoit Avenue to boost safety, accessibility, and connectivity.
After years of advocacy from community members, parents, and town leaders, the project will finally create a continuous sidewalk the length of Massasoit Avenue to address significant safety concerns along the major walking and cycling route to and from Hampden Meadows Elementary School, Barrington High School, and Barrington Middle School.
Massasoit Avenue is a state-owned road and is heavily-traveled as a cut-through from New Meadow Road to County Road (Route 114). Design and planning for the sidewalks project is ongoing and expected to continue into next year before construction begins by early 2028.
In a win for a safer, healthier, better-connected community, Senator Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, secured an $800,000 federal earmark to make this critical project possible. When it’s completed, the project, which is also supported by state and local funding and includes upgrades for sidewalks on New Meadow Road, is estimated to cost up to $2.59 million. RIDOT is the recipient of Reed’s federal earmark and will manage the construction project.
Following a brief speaking program at the nearby Barrington Park & Ride on County Road (Route 114), the media is invited to join Senator Reed and Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, Director of Planning, Building, & Resilience Herbert A. Durfee, III, and others for a windshield tour of the Massasoit Avenue project area aboard the town’s EV Volkswagen Bus.
RAIN LOCATION: Hampden Meadows Elementary School Gymnasium, 297 New Meadow Road, Barrington.
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